Composite railway-tie.



No. 849,093. I

COMPOSITE RAILWAY 'TIE. APPLY; 1111111111111111 1111 6.

- wvon Louis H Wolff Guam;

g-i i marrnn STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

LOUIS H. WOLFF, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-FIFTHS TO HENRY B. HEYWOOD, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

COMPOSITE RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed May 17,1906- Serial No. 317,322.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. WoLFF, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, useful Composite Railway-Tie; and hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

This is a process for making composite crossties.

The object of this invention is to make suitable cross-ties of a composite material into which spikes may be driven, so that the central portion of the tie will be dense and solid enough to hold spikes.

Composite cross-ties are formed by pressure. The material of which I preferably make the cross-ties consists, first, of a fibrous material-such as wheat-straw, jute, flax, and the like; second, of crude oil, petroleum, and the like, and, third, of sand, slag, and the like. hen a body of material as large as a cross-tie is pressed into shape, if the external portion is hard enough to hold spikes the interior is then too soft to hold them, and if the pressure on the material in making the tie is increased so that the interior will be dense and solid enough to hold spikes the exterior will be too hard to permit them being driven into it. Hence the object of this process is to form a tie of the kind in such manner that it will be of substantially the same character and density and homogeneous throughout.

Broadly speaking, my invention consists in forming the central and external portions at different times.

The nature will be more fully understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of a railway-rail and a longitudinal section of one end of a cross-tie upon which the rail is secured, the portions of the tie made at different times being indicated by different cross-hatching, although in reality all the parts of the tie are homogeneous and alike when completed. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the external portion of the tie shown in Fig. 1, which portion is formed first. Fig. 3 is a have invented a certain new and crosstie,

viously-formed portions in place. Fig.4 is the same, showing said tie completed. Fig. 5 is the external portion of another form of a and Fig. 6 the completed form of I do 1 said modified tie.

In carrying out this process I sometimes employ two steps in making a tie, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and at other times employ more than two steps, as shown in the first four figures.

I do not wish to be limited to the use of any particular material cap able of being used in this process or ingredients of any fixed proportions; but, as stated above, the material consists, first, of a fibrous materialsuch as wheat-straw, jute, flax, and the like; second, crude oil, petroleum, and the like, and, third, sand, slag, and the like. The proportion of these three classes of materials may be from eight to twelve sixteenths of the first class of materials, from one to three sixteenths of the second class, and from three to five sixteenths of the third class. So far as material and proportions are concerned the object is to gain both a suflicient degree of hardness and toughness for holding in the spikes; nor do I wish to be limited to any means or manner of compressing the parts of a tie but the pressure is preferably exerted by a plunger in a mold.

In making the tie shown in the first four figures I first press the external portion 10, (shown in Fig. 2,) forming substantially three sides of the tie, employing such pressure as will give it suflicient density to hold spikes 11 when driven into it for the purpose of retaining rail 12 and hard enough to hold said spikes after they are driven. This external portion when thus formed is substantially trough-shaped, one side and the central portion being open, and the two sides of the portion 10 being flaring, preferably as shown in Fig. 2. I next form the central portion 13, preferably, rectangular in cross-section and having a width substantially equal to the width of the narrowest portion of the 0 ening in the previously-formed portion 0 the tie. This central portion 13 is subjected to substantially the same pressure as the portion 10, so as to have the same density and character. I next place the central portion cross-section of the same, showing two pre- 13 within the external portion 10 and then press the remaining or filling portion 14: into place within the portion 10 and about the portion 13, as shown in Fig. 1. This portion 14 is likewise subjected to the same pressure as the other parts and formed of the same material, so that all three parts of the tie are of the same character, and the completed tie will be homogeneous and solid and without any distinguishing portions, the portions being distinctly shown in the drawings by cross-hatching for the purpose of explaining this process. The parts are thus secured together by compression, which causes anv intermingling and coherence of the outer particles of the adjacent parts while subject to great pressure.

In making the ties shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I first press the external portion 10 into shape. It may be in the form shown in Fig. 5 or the form shown in Fig. 2. In the second place I form the central and remaining portion 15 of the tie by pressing it into place, as shown in f Fig. 6, the two parts 10 and 15 being subjected to the same pressure to make the parts of the same character.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I am enabled. to prepare compressed material in the form of a cross-tie with the various portions thereof possessing the same general character. This sort of tie will hold the spikes and rail in place, will enable spikes to be driven into it to hold the rail, or extracted, and will form a yielding support for the rail, and one that will not break.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of making a composite railway cross-tie which process consists in forming the internal and the external portions thereof under pressure and at different times. i

2. The process of making a composite railway cross-tie which process consists first in pressing the external portion into shape, and in subsequently forming and pressmg the central portion into place in the external portion for uniting the two portions and giving to the whole tie substantially the same density and character.

3. The process of making a composite railway cross-tie which consists in separately forming and pressing the external and central portions into shape, the external portion having its central portion and one side unformed, then placing such central portion within the external portion, and finally filling the cavity in the external portion under pressure for holding the internal portion in place and. for uniting all portions into a homogeneous article.

In witness whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

. LOUIS H. l/VOLFF.

lVitnesses:

HELEN B. McCORD, N. ALLEMONG. 

